Before you start reading this article, know this: Roys Peak in Wanaka is popular, very popular to say the least. You will hardly be by yourself on this big beautiful mountain, and definitely not in summer.
Are you still here? Not scared away by the previous alinea? Great, you won’t regret it.
The view from Roys Peak is just unbeatable. It’s New Zealand at its best and it has to be on your list when travelling around the country. Why? Because it is crazy beautiful and easy accessible. You do need to do a bit of effort to get those stunning views. It is about 6km to reach the top and you’ll cover 1,578m in height. Sore legs salute you!
The panorama from the summit includes most of Lake Wanaka, the surrounding peaks and Mount Aspiring. I promise you will have a big smile on your face. I do suggest you try to spice it up a bit, and be different from the main stream tourist.
You can catch a sunrise on top of Mount Roy. There are fewer people around (because who likes getting up at 3am…). I did this at the end of summer and it turned out to be an unforgettable experience. You get up early and start walking. The feeling you get when the sun pops over the mountains is incredible – and the views are yeah you know… Beautiful.
Curious how the sunrise walk ended? Here’s a video I made about the sunrise walk: https://theworldisacircus.com/2016/04/28/video-walking-roys-peak-in-wanaka/
Another option is to enjoy a sunset at the top. Most tourists leave before it is too dark to go down. You just have to take your head torch, some warm clothes and you can enjoy the sun disappearing. I did this last weekend in the SNOW – yay!
And last but not least you can take some props up the mountain and have a bit of a photo shoot. I decided to take balloons up, because I wanted some pictures for The World is a Circus. It turned out to be such a cool shoot with pretty cool pictures.
If there is one ultimate tip I can give you is to climb this mountain in winter. There will be fewer people and everything just looks so much better covered in snow. Don’t you think so?
Hi Lieselot,
Did you find this hike accessible in the winter? I am hoping to do it this August but am worried that the conditions will not permit. Do you have tips for doing this hike in August? What were the temperatures you encountered while hiking?
Thanks, Renee
Hi Renee, I recommend checking the weather conditions. I’ve walked it up with snow, but the weather conditions were really good. Not a lot of wind, good visibility. It will also depend how much snow has fallen; so keep an eye out for that. We did it in July and really enjoyed it. If you’re planning to spend some time at the top to take pictures etc I recommend you to take an extra t-shirt, so you can take your wet one off and change it with a dry one, so you stay warm. Take enough warm clothes with you; because once you’re at the top it is cold 🙂 I hope it works out for you! Have fun! x lieselot
AH-MA-ZING! Your pics are perfect! I love Wanaka, I think it’s a bit less crowded than Queenstown and the views are just perfect!
Thanks for your kind words Stephanie! And i totally agree with you. Wanaka is a bit less crowded than Queenstown which gives you the opportunity to enjoy nature a bit more!
Sooo beautiful! I wasn’t able to make it there this time around but it’s on the list for next time, especially after seeing these pics!
It is indeed such a beautiful spot! And I just love how accessible it is! You don’t need to be a well trained hiker to get up there. Enjoy!